The Chennai Corporation has removed 22 shops at the vegetable market on Railway Border Road in T.Nagar, close to the Mambalam railway station.
Corporation officials said that the shops were removed because the Railways is planning to use the corporation land to construct an escalator for the Mambalam railway station. Plans are on the anvil for a skywalk linking the railway station and the T. Nagar bus depot, they said.
“The escalator will receive priority. Removal of encroachments for the skywalk in T. Nagar has not started. We have not finalised the alignment of the skywalk,” said senior civic official.
Corporation Special Officer's Council led by Commissioner D. Karthikeyan passed a resolution to remove the encroachments on a stretch of Railway Border Road from the junction of Ranganathan Street to Natesan Street. “We issued eviction notice to the shopkeepers before demolishing the structures. But the shopkeepers wanted more time to shift their belongings. They requested for two days’ time. When we asked them to leave immediately, they resisted. But we have demolished the shops and handed over the land to the railways,” said an official.
“The shopkeepers will not be given any alternative accommodation. They have encroached upon the road. This encroachment had reduced the width of the carriageway,” said an official.
But the vendors whose shops were razed down said that they should be given an alternative place.
Suresh (name changed), a vegetable seller, said, “We have been doing business here for over a decade. Where will we go now?” he asked. Vendors said that they were not paying any rent but plan to make representations to the government.
On Tuesday, Amudha S., a frequent customer, said, “Vegetables are sold at floor prices when compared to supermarkets and push cart vendors. That is the reason people throng the market in the evenings and weekends. The stock here is fresh,” she said.
The Corporation’s market in the area, however, would function. “We have 131 shops in the market, allotted by the Kodambakkam zonal officials to vendors,” officials said.
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